River
by Tima Yami's wife
Summary: -sequel to "Ripples"- Having been locked away for years, two spirits from an ancient time return to the modern world, affecting the lives of many people while battling evil both old and new and rediscovering each other
1. Ripples

Chapter 1

Ripples

**Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything that has to do with YuGiOh. I just own my characters and Dark Mage of the Sea owns hers. Here is the sequel to my fanfiction **_**Ripples**_**; the sister fanfiction **_**A Star Among Darkness**_** will be written at the same time, each story covering the series in chronological order according to the series. To all those who read **_**Ripples**_** or are starting with this story (which is all right), I hope you enjoy it.**

**Thank you, Dark Mage of the Sea, my coauthor and best friend.**

_Years and centuries pass and faces and souls get recycled and get scattered all over the world. But destiny has a way of making things work, using people, events, and feelings to influence the tide of fate. As Seth predicted centuries earlier, the journey of the Sennen Items was not done yet and it started again when a man from Japan came to Egypt in search of the ultimate game. With the beginning piece in play, the heavens decided that it was time to set the paths before certain humans…_

It seemed like any other day but, to one family driving down the street, it was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. The parents knew what was happening but their son, a five year old who had star-shaped black hair with red tips and blond bangs, was too young to understand. Leaning his head against the window, he looked at the passing city and asked, "Where we going?"

Sitting next to the little boy, an old man wearing overalls and a bandanna smiled and touched his grandson's shoulder. "Well…you know how you asked for a little brother or sister?"

As the boy nodded, the driver, the old man's son, looked at his wife in the passenger seat and smiled sadly, a smile she responded to. They had tried to have another baby for a couple of years with no success. About a month ago, they thought that they would finally be blessed with another child but the pregnancy sadly did not last. Because of that, they decided to adopt; while they did not tell their son about the miscarriage as he was too young to understand, they wanted him to be an active part of the adoption since the child would be his playmate. Turning her seat, the woman looked at the little one and said, "We're going to get your brother or sister now."

The boy was a little confused, as he had never heard of such a place where one could go get a sibling as if they were going to get groceries. "I don't understand…"

His mother smiled. "I know. But look on the bright side: you will have a brother or sister to play with."

The boy looked up and asked, "Both?"

The driver shook his head with a smile. "No, son. You must pick one since that's all we can afford."

The boy whined a little and gave a little pout. The old man smiled and made the child look at him. "Better to have one than none…right?"

The child nodded and then looked at his parents. "Where bwother or sissy?" When he was told that they were going to an orphanage, the child asked, "What oh-fan-itch?"

His mother hesitated for a moment; how should she explain to her five-year-old son what an orphanage was? Seeing her son's innocent eyes, she gently explained, "It's where children with parents who are not alive go to live until they get new parents."

The other adults knew that, sometimes, there were other reasons why children become orphans but the description was the best one for the five-year-old to understand without being upset. The boy was about to ask another question when his father pulled up to an old-fashioned, brick building that looked more than a church with a front lawn that was littered with playground equipment and trees with swing sets. The child looked up at the building as the adults came out of the car. The mother went to the backseat and got her son out of his booster seat, setting him down on the ground. "Are you ready, sweetie?"

The little boy nodded and followed his family into the orphanage. They were greeted by the Reverend Mother, who started to lead them towards the main playroom. The child did not pay attention to the words that were exchanged between the adults; he was more eager to see the other children and choose his new brother or sister. They finally made it to the main playroom and the child's eyes started to dart around. There were children of all sizes and ages, making him excited with the range of choices he had. Looking down at him, his mother smiled and said, "Go find your new sibling."

The child nodded and started to walk about, looking at all the children. They all looked nice and fun to play with but none stood out to him. But then he saw a girl who was about his age, sitting in a corner working on a puzzle. With long brown hair and bright blue eyes, she appeared to be having fun with her puzzle. Being a fan of games himself, the boy started to walk over to her. Having kept an eye on his grandson, the old man saw the girl he was walking towards and asked, "Reverend Mother…what's the story with that little girl?"

The other adults looked up and saw the child look up as the boy approached her. The parents' eyes shone, feeling love at first sight, as the Reverend Mother smiled. "That is Tiki. She came here almost a year ago with her older sister after her parents died in a car crash. Six months ago, her older sister was adopted, something Tiki was okay with. She's a very special child to forget herself and let her sister go to another family."

Having looked up when the boy chirped "Hi" at her, Tiki smiled. "Hi!"

The boy looked at the puzzle and asked, "Me play wit you?"

Tiki nodded and held up a puzzle piece for him to take. Sitting down with her, the boy started to look over the puzzle to find the piece's proper place. Watching him, the little girl giggled. "Me Tiki."

Still absorbed in the puzzle, the boy said, "Me Yugi."

Tiki tilted her head a little; she had never seen someone so focused on finding a puzzle piece's place as Yugi. But her mood changed when she looked at a nearby puzzle piece and saw that both that piece and the piece Yugi was holding went together. Picking up the stray piece, she connected the two and squealed with delight. Yugi giggled. "You like puzzles, Tiki?"

Tiki nodded eagerly. "Mm! I love puzzles and games!"

Yugi could not help but giggle in response. "Me too! They my favowites!"

Tiki looked at Yugi with delight. "Me you same!"

Yugi nodded and the two went back to work on making the picture come together. Watching them, Mrs. Mutou smiled and touched her heart. Looking at her husband and father-in-law, they shared a special look, one that the Reverend Mother saw and recognized from her many years of service. A couple of minutes later, the two children finished the puzzle and looked at the picture, which was a beautiful rainbow surrounded by angels. Tiki squealed with glee. "We did it, Yugi!"

Yugi nodded and then looked at his parents. He smiled at them: he made his choice. "Um…Tiki…if want…we play more games and puzzles…wit my family."

Tiki looked up at Yugi in surprise. She had assumed Yugi was a new orphan boy but now… "Weally?"

Yugi nodded and pointed to his family, making Tiki look up in excitement. Unable to contain herself with the possibility of being adopted, she tackle-hugged Yugi, surprising the adults. The old man approached them and said hello. Tiki looked up and chirped hi back. Looking at the puzzle, the grandfather said, "I saw that you love playing games. We own a Game Shop that has lots of games for you and my grandson to play with."

Tiki's eyes started to shine with delight. She then looked at the two parents approaching them. Mrs. Mutou thanked the old man, whom she called Solomon, and then got down on her knees to get to Tiki's level. Love already shining in her eyes, Mrs. Mutou asked, "Tiki…would you like to come home with us?"

Her smile continuing to widen, Tiki nodded and threw herself into the woman's arms. "Mommy!"

The parents and Solomon smiled while Yugi cheered a little. The family was now complete and young Tiki's path was beginning to form.

* * *

_In another part of the world, there was another path that was starting to form, one that would have a lot of tests along the way._

Hidden in a tomb under the sands of Egypt, there sat a six-year-old at a desk studying a book. Dressed in an old-fashioned outfit, he stood out because, despite being Egyptian, he had natural platinum-blond hair. He often wondered if he got his hair color from his mother since his father's hair had gone white from age but he never met his mother, she having died in childbirth. Setting aside the book, he sighed and propped his head up with his fists. Thinking about his parents made him think about the fate that awaited him, a fate that his father claimed was his birthright. The six-year-old was a bit unusual because, from the history he had been forced to read ever since he could, he was the first in a long line of tomb keepers who did not want to live this way and longed for the world above, a world that was forbidden now and would become even more forbidden the second he turned ten. His thoughts were temporarily interrupted when a fifteen-year-old boy with dark skin and a traditional black ponytail on the back of his bald head walked in with a book in his hand. The six-year-old looked up, hoping that he was getting lunch, and whined when he saw the book. "Another one?"

The teenager nodded. "Master Ishtar requires that you read everything before your tenth birthday—" The teenager was suddenly interrupted when the child suddenly and angrily snatched the book away from him, startling the elder. "Master Marik!"

The boy Marik saw the look on the elder's and regretted his actions. "I'm sorry, Odion…"

As Marik lowered his head, Odion smiled sadly: he knew why the younger was acting this way. Marik acted this way when Odion or Marik's sister Ishizu mentioned his tenth birthday because that was the day he would undergo the tomb keeper ritual. A practice that started with the first tomb keeper thousands of years ago, Marik's father, as a father performing the rite of passage to his son, would carve the secrets they were assigned to protect into Marik's back. After being bitten by a cobra a year ago, Marik grew to fear pain and the ritual was written by an ancestor that it caused so much that the tomb keeper could barely move for days afterwards. The boy wished he would convince his father to wait until he was at least seventeen so he was mature enough to handle the ritual but he had read that, while that was the practice for thousands of years, the ritual was changed so that the tomb keeper would undergo it when he was ten because, one generation, the firstborn died just before the ritual could be done and his ten-year-old brother had to undergo it to make sure that the secrets would not be forgotten. Sensing Odion was still there, Marik whispered, "I'm sorry…I just…don't like what's coming…"

Odion smiled and nodded. He himself did not know what the ritual was but he assumed that it must be horrific for Marik to always act this way. "I know."

Odion wished there was something he could do for the child but he could not think of anything, especially since the teenager was not an Ishtar by blood. If Marik's father asked Odion to undergo the ritual as he and his wife originally planned if they continued to be barren, the teenager would happily agree; even though he would have to undergo a horrible ritual and live a life in the dark, he would go through it if it meant being a member of the family. Taking a deep breath, Marik looked at the book and asked, "Can I have some water?"

Odion nodded and left. After noting that the book he was reading was written by the first tomb keeper (the tomb keeper he was named after), Marik opened the book. To his delight, there were pictures in the book, pictures the first tomb keeper drew himself. Flipping through the book, the child focused on the pictures first. Some were of the Sennen Items, two of which Marik recognized as the two his family watched over, and some were of battles; the battle pictures made Marik whine because they were drawn from a bad angle, as if the first tomb keeper was watching and drawing the battle from a hiding place. He then came to the last picture and froze. The picture showed two women, one floating above the other. Her head looking up towards the sky with her eyes closed and her hands extended, the woman on top was dressed in a long, flowing dress with six wings on her back. But, as beautiful as she was, it was the woman standing below her that really caught Marik's attention. Her eyes were half-closed and her fingers were clasped together in a prayer. With her curly hair and small smile on her face, she was a sight to behold for Marik, who had up until this point only seen the women in his tribe. Reading the words on the opposite page, he read about the Nameless Pharaoh's wife and Queen, Tima, who had been the Pharaoh's slave whom the Pharaoh fell in love with because of her kind heart and always putting others' needs before her own. There was a small explanation that the winged woman was her Ka Seraphita but Marik did not care about the spirit. To the child's disappointment, that was all there was about the Queen but that did not stop the smile that started to appear on his face. Lowering the book a little, he started to daydream about Tima, wondering what she was really like. He continued to daydream until he heard Odion set a cup of water next to him. Waking from his fantasies, Marik took the cup and said, "Thank you."

Odion nodded and was about to leave to see if Ishizu needed anything when he saw the drawing. "What a pretty woman…"

Marik smiled and looked at the picture. "Yep. It's the Queen and she has a name; her name wasn't erased like the Pharaoh's was! Her name is Tima."

Odion smiled at the enthusiasm that Marik showed towards such a simple drawing. He knew that Marik sadly did not have much hope in his life so any little joy the child could have was something to encourage. As he left to check on Marik's sister, Marik got an idea. After peeking over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, he ripped out the page that had the drawing on it. Smiling gleefully, the child stared at the picture and resumed his daydreams. While the drawing made Tima look beautiful, he assumed that the picture must have not done her justice, especially her eyes since they were half-closed. He then started to wonder about her voice. As he imagined her with having the voice pf a goddess, he sighed cutely. "Tima…"

He continued to daydream until his fantasies were suddenly interrupted by a loud crash coming from the courtyard. Hiding the drawing under his pillow, he ran outside his room to investigate. Along the way, he ran into Odion, who also heard the crash. The child asked, "Odion, what was that?"

Remembering that Marik had an unhealthy curiosity about the outside world, Odion theorized that whatever made that noise would only fuel his curiosity so the teenager told Marik, "Stay here."

The teenager left to investigate. To his disappointment, he heard Marik following him. He wanted to turn around and argue but he decided against that. A minute later, they arrived at the courtyard and found the culprit: the ceiling near the well opening caved in and two outsiders fell through. The first was a man in his early thirties with tan skin like Odion's and long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in a quarter-sleeve buttoned tan shirt, worn-out brown pants, and hiking shoes. What worried the teenager was the pouch the outsider had on his side of his pants that appeared to be filled with the tools of an archaeologist, one of the "nosy enemies" that the tomb keepers feared above all. It was the fear and loathing for this nosy enemy that almost made Odion ignore the side of his shirt, which was slowly getting wet and red. But he then saw what in the outsider's arms and his heart softened: the adult had a little girl in his arms. Dressed in a sleeveless white shirt, short blue pants, and hiking shoes, the blond-haired, pale-skinned child was clinging to the older man, her eyes squeezed tight and her body trembling. Making a decision, Odion looked at Marik, who was staring with wide eyes at the outsiders, and told the child, "Master Marik, get your sister and find some help."

Seeing the wound on the man as well, Marik nodded and left quickly to find help. While he waited, Odion went to the two and, seeing a handkerchief tied to one of the man's legs, removed it to press it against the wound. While the teenager did this, he turned his attention to the little girl. "Miss, are you all right?"

The little girl opened one purple eye at Odion, only to recoil and close her eye again. As Marik arrived with help, they approached the outsiders tentatively. The only reason they came was because Ishizu was able to convince them that it was best to help the outsiders so they could return before others came looking for them. Marik approached Odion, who touched the girl's arm. Hearing her whine with fear, the teenager smiled softly. "It's all right, young one."

Marik smiled. "Yeah! Odion won't bite!"

The girl peeked again and saw Marik. Trusting someone around her age more, she loosened her grip, allowing Odion to pick her up and letting the others tend to the adult. Accompanied by a ten-year-old with black hair and wisdom beyond her years thanks to her acceptance of her family's lifestyle, the tomb keepers propped up the archaeologist and helped him to his feet. Looking at the wound, Marik's sister said, "We need to take him to a room to tend to his wound. It might need to be stitched up."

Getting down on his knees so the blond outsider could be closer to the ground, Odion nodded. "I agree, Mistress Ishizu."

The girl Ishizu looked at the men and told them, "Make sure Father doesn't see you."

The tomb keepers nodded and started to take the outsider to another room. Seeing the man being taken away, the girl teared up and reached for him. "Daddy! Where you take Daddy?!"

Odion rubbed the girl's back to calm her down. Marik smiled and took the girl's hand, making her look at him. "It will be okay. They are just making sure your father is okay."

Seeing his smile, the girl sniffled a little and started to calm down. As the man was taken out of the room, Ishizu looked at the child and then looked at her brother, who said, "I'm Marik. What's your name?"

Wiping her eyes, the blond child whimpered, "Merina…"

Marik could feel his excitement build: for the first time in his life, he was talking to an outsider! Wanting to know as much as he could before she had to return, he asked, "Where did you come from?"

Ishizu was about to admonish her brother when Odion shook his head at her. He sensed that Merina was too young to give Marik a definitive answer; sure enough, Merina just pointed to the hole in the ceiling as her answer. Unfortunately, her innocent answer only seemed to fuel Marik's curiosity. Looking up at the now-second hole with wonder, he asked, "What's it like up there?"

This time, Ishizu stepped forward and touched Marik's shoulder, giving him a look. Marik soured a little at the reminder that he was not supposed to ask about the outside world. Thankfully, Merina seemed too upset to answer. She looked up at Ishizu and asked, "Where Daddy?"

Ishizu smiled softly. "Your father has been taken to another room to have his wound cleaned and repaired."

Being five years old, Merina did not understand such words as "wound" and "repaired" but they did sound like scary words so she whimpered, "I wanna see Daddy!"

Thinking that Merina would accept her words as Marik had many times, Ishizu went down to Merina's level and said, "Forgive me, little one…but your father will need his rest first."

Merina started tearing up again, making Ishizu feel guilty. Seeing the tears, Marik said to Merina, "We can go see him now!"

Merina immediately brightened at the suggestion. Ishizu looked at Odion, hoping that the teenager would be on her side, but her wishes went unanswered: the teenager picked up Merina and smiled. "We'll go see your father. But you must agree to let Ishizu look in on him first to make sure he's all right."

Merina nodded, willing to do anything to see her father. Ishizu smiled and shook her head. "You are amazing, Odion."

Odion shrugged a little. He did not see himself as amazing but simply having more practice with young children. With Ishizu leading the way, Odion and Marik started to take Merina to see her father. Arriving at the room, Ishizu poked her head in first. Now shirtless, the man was laying on his side with his back to the door. One of the tomb keepers was wiping off the excess blood from his wound, which was not as serious as it could have been. Thanks to that angle, the ten-year-old could see the huge tribal-design scorpion tattoo that covered the man's back and her eyes widen at the realization: such a tattoo meant that this man and therefore Merina were descendants from an ancient and legendary clan called the Scorpion Warriors. From the scrolls she had read, they were a special force employed by the Pharaoh himself and the princess of the Scorpion Warriors had a romance with the Prince. As Ishizu wondered why fate would bring a possible direct descendant of the Scorpion Warriors to the Tomb Keepers, the tomb keeper started to stich up the cut. At the same time, Merina grew impatient and cried, "I wanna see Daddy!"

The man looked up. "Merina? Where…?"

He tried to get up but the tomb keeper kept him down. "Sir, I need to stich up this wound so please be still."

The man almost argued but a shot of pain went up the man's body, making him lay back down. Ishizu told Odion to keep Merina occupied as she walked into the room. Going into the archaeologist's view, Ishizu asked, "Who are you…?"

Gritting his teeth as his wound was stitched up, he opened his eyes, revealing gold eyes, and looked at the preteen. "Hika…Scipio Hika…" Grunting in pain, he asked, "Where's…where's my daughter?"

Ishizu smiled softly. "Do not worry, sir. She is fine."

As the tomb keeper finished stitching the wound, Scipio sat up and, as the tomb keeper started to wrap him in bandages, asked, "Can I see her?"

Ishizu nodded and went to the door. To her surprised amusement, Merina burst through the door as soon as the older girl opened it slightly and ran to her father. Scipio smiled and, ignoring the pain, bent over to pick up and hug his daughter. "Hey, Desert Rose." Chuckling at her crying, he said, "It's all right, I'm fine."

Ishizu smiled at the interaction between the father and daughter. What she did not realize was that Marik was watching the interaction between Merina and Scipio. He could see that they were very close and felt a little jealous as he thought about the relationship he had with his own father. While the boy respected him, he hated that his father was an extremist about the traditions and did not acknowledge Odion as his son, even though he and his late wife raised him from when the teenager was an infant. As Marik continued to think about the tense relationship, he heard Merina ask something that made the boy feel even more jealous: "Daddy…Mommy okay?"

Marik perked up at hearing that: Merina had both parents in her life? As his jealousy grew, he saw Scipio nod. "Yes. As soon as this nice man says I can go, we can go back to Mommy."

Merina smiled and hugged Scipio. Marik felt a little depressed: Merina had to leave? The six-year-old did not want her to leave just yet. He wanted to know so much about her, about the world she came from, about her family; not only that but she was the first person he had ever seen with pale skin and yellow hair. Ishizu was about to say that she would help them back to the upper world when Scipio tried to move and cried out in pain, startling Merina. Forgetting his views about the upper world, the tomb keeper who tended to Scipio said, "Forgive me but I don't think it's wise to move you so soon. I recommend that he rest until he is a little better."

Feeling the stitches in his side, Scipio nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality." He went to set Merina down on the ground but she gripped his shirt, making him smile. "I'll be fine, my little Desert Rose. But I need to rest and you know I can get boring when I'm resting."

Merina could not help but giggle. Rushing up to them, Marik said, "I can play with Merina! I can keep her happy while you're resting!"

Both Scipio and Ishizu were surprised by Marik but for different reasons: Ishizu was surprised that Marik seemed almost devoted to getting close to this outsider while Scipio was surprised that there was a child living here that was around Merina's age. Taking a chance, Ishizu said, "Marik, think about what you're doing…"

Marik glared up at Ishizu. "I'm helping Merina, making her smile instead of cry while we wait for her father to heal. What's wrong with that?"

This time, Ishizu had nothing to say to that, for she knew Marik was being truthful about this so she relented. "Very well…just make sure Father doesn't see you."

Scipio smiled and looked at Merina. "Go with Marik."

Looking at the boy, Merina nodded and let Scipio put her down. Excited to play with an outsider, Marik grabbed Merina's hand and pulled her out of the room. Scipio chuckled. "Your brother seems happy to play with my daughter."

Ishizu nodded in silence; she just hoped that being around Merina would not affect Marik too much.

* * *

In his room, Marik smiled at Merina, who looked around the bare room with a sour look on her face. But she smiled when Marik pulled a box full of wooden toys out from under his bed. "Wow."

Smiling, Marik overturned the box and dumped the toys, making Merina giggle and clap with delight. There was one toy that caught her attention, making her grab it. "Cheep cheep!"

Marik looked at the toy and laughed. "That's a very special bird, Merina." Seeing Merina blink innocently, the boy explained, "It's a phoenix, a bird of legend."

Merina did not understand so she started to make the bird fly around. Marik took the wooden horse and started to play as well. Soon, their giggles filled the room, making Odion who was waiting outside smile. He was happy that Marik was able to have this small moment of happiness; maybe this memory would help the child with things to come. Taking a moment, Marik smiled at Merina as his eyes laid on her blond hair. Unable to take it anymore, he reached out and petted her hair, causing her to stop and stare at him. Seeing this, Marik pulled his hand back and apologized. "You just…have pretty hair…"

Merina's eyes shone at the compliment. "Weally?" Off Marik's nod, the girl giggled with delight. "Mawik nice! Mewi like Mawik!"

Marik laughed, enjoying the feeling of having an outsider friend. As she passed by, Ishizu peeked in and got worried. Looking at Odion, she asked, "Do you think it's all right to have that girl with Marik?"

Odion knew that Ishizu was worried about Marik's curiosity about the upper world but he still nodded. "I don't see anything wrong with it. With as tough a life as he will have, there shouldn't be anything wrong with giving Marik a moment of happiness."

Ishizu was about to say that it was wrong but stopped herself with the look on Odion's face. The teenager knew how single moments of happiness could help a lifetime of misery. He himself survived the life in the darkness with the moments of happiness he experienced: believing that he could be given the tomb keeper ritual and be seen as a true member of the family, helping Ishizu's mother raise her, and Marik calling Odion "big brother" when the teenager almost killed the child out of jealousy. About to go in and join the children, Ishizu and Odion were approached by the tomb keeper who tended to Scipio's wound. "The outsider is insisting on leaving."

Ishizu looked at her clansman in surprise. "Is he rested up? It seems a bit fast."

He nodded. "I agree. I think he needs to rest a little longer…but Master Ishtar found us. After that encounter…the outsider is insisting on leaving and Master Ishtar is in agreement.

Ishizu mentally winced as she went silent. She hoped that she could have kept this all quiet but, deep down, she knew that her father would find out eventually since the old man always seemed to be one step ahead of them as he had lived longer in this lifestyle. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and looked into the room. She did not want to break the news to her brother, especially since it was very clear that he enjoyed Merina's company, but she had to do it because it was better to hear it from either her or Odion than to have her father come bursting into the room and ripping Merina from Marik's arms. Going into the room, Ishizu tenderly said, "Marik…Merina needs to go home."

Upon hearing that, Marik immediately hugged Merina. Ishizu sighed and pleaded with her brother, only to have Marik whine, "Why?"

Before Ishizu could answer, Merina giggled and hugged him back. "It okay! We still fwiends!"

Marik looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

Merina nodded. "Yep! We be fwiends foever and ever!"

Marik smiled and hugged Merina a little tighter, making Merina giggle some more. The boy then got an idea. Pulling back, he asked, "You write to me? Please?" Even though Merina nodded, Marik asked, "You promise?"

Merina nodded and held up her pinky. "Pinky-pwomise!"

Marik stared at the pinky, having never seen a promise being sealed in this fashion. Figuring it was the ways of the outsider, he took a guess and hooked his pinky with her. Merina giggled in response just as Scipio, fully dressed and still wincing, peeked into the room. "Time to go, Merina."

Seeing her father, the little girl raced up to him and hugged his leg. "Daddy! Mawik fwiend! Me wite to him! Dat okay?"

Scipio nodded. Making a mental note to give someone his address so that could be achieved, he looked at Marik. "Thank you for helping my daughter. You've definitely made a friend for life."

Marik smiled at that and waved at Merina, who waved back. Not wanting there to be any more trouble, Ishizu led Scipio and his daughter to the door that led to the upper world, the door that was normally used by a neighboring tomb keeper clan to give her family the supplies they needed. She was about to feel through the darkness to find the handle but Scipio surprised her with having a flashlight, a method of producing light she had never seen before. He found the handle with no problem and opened it, making all three of them wince at the sunlight. Merina ran out into the world but stopped within sight at Scipio's calls. Pulling out a notepad and a small pencil, he wrote some words on it and gave the paper to Ishizu. "Give this to your brother so he and Merina can be pen pals."

Ishizu nodded and then looked at Scipio with pleading eyes. "Please, sir…don't tell—"

Scipio finished, "—anyone about your clan? Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Your father already…'persuaded' me that I shouldn't let anyone know."

Knowing how her father could be with persuading, Ishizu nodded as Scipio scooped Merina up into his arms and started to leave. Looking over his shoulder, Merina waved. "Bye bye!"

Ishizu smiled and waved before closing the door again. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she turned around, only to yelp with surprise: her father was there and he had a scowl on his face. "The nosy enemy gone?"

Gripping the paper to make it as small as possible, Ishizu nodded. "Yes, sir."

As tight as her hand was, it was no good: her father saw the paper and ripped it out of her hand. Reading the address, he scowled, "What is this?"

Ishizu looked away, feeling guilty that she was caught with it. "Marik wants to be…pen pals with…that little girl."

Her father's eyes narrowed with anger. "And you took the paper he handed you? I expected better of you, Ishizu. You know our ways." With that, he ripped up the piece of paper. "Now I want you to forget those outsiders and make sure your brother does as well."

Feeling her heart break for her brother, Ishizu nodded, giving her father what he wanted. As he left, the preteen considered her options. She knew that she was supposed to tell Marik to forget about Merina but she did not think it was fair to have that small light in the darkness snuffed out so quickly. Suddenly, she was hugged by Marik. Waking up from her thoughts, she looked around and saw that she had walked back to Marik's room. She was about to tell him what their father said when Marik smiled. "I'm so happy, big sister! I get to write to an outsider! Can you believe it?!"

Seeing how happy he was, Ishizu made a decision. "I'm happy for you. But we can't have Father knowing so this needs to be a secret between the three of us. I'll let Odion know so he can make sure your letters get to the outside world when we make a list of supplies we need."

Marik smiled brightly and jumped with delight into his room. Ishizu smiled sadly: while it was a lie, it was better than telling him the grim truth. She also told herself that, with Merina as young as she was, there was always a chance she would forget. She just hoped that Marik would do the same.

* * *

In his room, Marik laid down on his bed and pulled out the picture of Tima and Seraphita. "I made a friend, Tima, and she's pretty too. With flowing golden hair…I can't wait to start writing to her!" Imagining that the picture was listening to him, Marik hugged it and whispered, "And maybe…one day…I can meet you too…"

As he started to imagine that meeting, a strange feeling overcame him…

* * *

In their house, Yugi and Tiki were playing in their room. Tiki simply adored her new family, especially her brother. They were joined at the hip all day, playing games and doing puzzles from sun-up until sun-down. Because of their love for games and puzzles, they grew extremely close with their grandfather, who always provided them with games and puzzles and who liked to tell them stories about when he was younger and all the games he played. That particular day, the siblings were working on their own puzzles and finished at the same time. When they announced at the same time that they were done, they giggled at each other and Yugi suggested, "Find another!"

Getting up, they started to run towards their game closet. But, along the way, Tiki noticed another closet and stopped running, getting Yugi's attention. "Tiki, where going?"

Tiki pointed to the closet. "What in dere?"

Yugi shrugged and, curiosity touching, went into the closet with Tiki. It was the storage closet that Solomon used to store games that were not sold yet. Yugi looked at all the boxes and saw nothing of value until he felt Tiki pat his arm. He looked at her and saw that she was pointing to the top of one shelf. "Yugi, look! Pwetty!"

Yugi looked at what she was pointing at and his eyes shone: it was a small box made of gold. As he looked at it, he felt like it was calling to him for some reason. Because of that feeling, Yugi said, "Let get it!"

The first thing they tried was jumping up and down to try and get it but it was too high. Getting an idea, Yugi pushed over a box and tried to climb on top of it. But it was a hollow box, which led to the boy collapsing into it and Tiki laughing at him. "Yugi funny!"

Popping out of the box, he glared at his sister but got another idea. Seconds later, Tiki was standing on Yugi's shoulders and reaching for the golden box. "Almost!"

Yugi tried to stay still but having his sister on his shoulders was not an easy feat for a five-year-old. Suddenly, just as Tiki's fingers started to touch the box, they heard a stern voice call their names. Startled by the voice, they collapsed; thankfully, they managed to fall onto the collapsed box, saving them from serious injury. Sitting up, they whined in slight pain until Tiki looked at her brother and pointed at him with glee. "Lookie!"

Yugi was confused until he looked up and smiled as well: when they fell, they shook the shelf enough to cause the golden box to fall on Yugi's head. Giggling, he took it in his hands. "Got it!"

Solomon, the one who startled them, recognized the box and quickly took it from Yugi's hands, making his grandson blink with confusion. Seeing their disappointed faces, the old man shook his head. "I'm sorry, you two, but this is not something for you to play with."

Tiki whined, "But Grandpa…"

Solomon shook his head, determined to keep the box out of their hands. But he made the mistake of looking down at them: they gave him the cute eyes, eyes that they knew Solomon could not resist. Sure enough, he smiled and gave the box back to them. Cheering in their victory, they sat down and opened it to see what was inside. Tiki pulled out the first thing she saw, which was a golden necklace with a diamond held by golden wings. "Pwetty!"

Yugi nodded. "Yes! Pwetty!"

Tiki looked at Yugi, intending to tease him for agreeing that a necklace was pretty, but she saw that his eyes were glued to the box. She peeked down and her eyes shone as well: the box was filled with golden puzzle pieces. Seeing the pieces, Solomon smiled and realized that he was worrying for nothing: as much as his grandson loved puzzles, Yugi was only five-years-old and the puzzle was too difficult for him. "It's a complicated puzzle, Yugi. Can you put it together?"

Excited with this challenge, Yugi nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Looking at the pieces, Tiki chirped, "Tiki help!"

Yugi nodded again, his smile widening. Solomon could not help but smile, especially at how attached his grandchildren were at the contents of the box, so he decided to tell them, "You know …there's a story behind that puzzle and necklace."

Loving stories above all, Tiki chirped, "Tell stowy!"

Solomon laughed heartily at her enthusiasm. "All right. How about we get out of this closet? Then I'll tell you the story."

As the children got up, Tiki held up the necklace. "Put on first!" Seeing Solomon's look, she sheepishly asked, "Pwease?"

Smiling, Solomon took the necklace and put it around her neck. Racing to the bathroom, Tiki climbed her stepstool and looked at herself, only to clap with delight. "Pwetty!"

When she came out, she followed Solomon and Yugi back to their room. With his grandchildren laying on Yugi's bed, Solomon told them the legend of the puzzle and necklace. Smiling at the children listening with wonder, the old man told them that the puzzle and necklace came from a Pharaoh and Queen of Ancient Egypt 3,000 years ago, a Pharaoh and Queen who ruled the land with peace and justice. When he said that the puzzle was said to hold a special power when put together, Yugi perked up. "It gwant a wish?"

Solomon shrugged with a chuckle. "I guess you can say that…but no one has ever solved the puzzle so it's just a story."

The children did not care that it was "just a story;" they were determined to solve the puzzle and have their wish granted. Together, they stated, "We solve!"

Solomon smiled at his grandchildren. He still believed that the puzzle was too difficult for them but he knew better than to dampen the hopes of children. Instead, he said, "Maybe your wish will come true if you put the puzzle together."

The children giggled as Yugi dumped out all the pieces on his bed. Leaving them to work, Solomon left and ran into the children's parents. Looking in on them, the father noticed what they were playing with. "Father, I thought you were going to sell that."

Solomon chuckled. "I was…until they found it."

"Don't you think it's a little complicated for them?"

Solomon shrugged with a smile. "They're determined to solve it…especially since they have one another."

Mrs. Mutou smiled. "They really love each other, don't they?"

The adults shares a smile. Inside the bedroom, the children tried to work on the puzzle but it was just as complicated as Solomon said, if not more so. Whining, Tiki grew bored and went to color. But Yugi was determined to solve it, for he felt that something was telling him to finish the puzzle.

* * *

_As the years went on, different events happened that caused ripples in certain souls._

_Despite Odion offering to have the ritual instead, Marik had the carvings when he turned ten. During the ritual, something evil happened to the young one's soul. As if sensing it, Odion carved a sign of loyalty to Marik on his face. Thought furious at his fate, Odion's sign and the picture of Tima helped the child cope. One year later, Marik was determined to sneak out, both to see the outside world at least once and to hopefully find Merina, who never responded to the hundreds of letters he wrote. Fifteen-year-old Ishizu tried to convince him this was a bad idea but eventually gave in when Odion offered to help. Marik enjoyed the visit but he and Ishizu were shaken up when they met a loyalist to the Pharaoh wearing the Sennen Key who said that the Pharaoh and Queen were returning. Not caring about the Pharaoh, Marik liked the idea of Tima coming back and, thanks to a page from a magazine, imagined her riding a motorcycle with him. But their fun came crashing down when they returned and realized, when they left, an alarm was set off. Thanks to his part in their disobedience, Odion was wiped to unconsciousness. With Odion unconscious, Marik's evil side (really an evil spirit who latched onto Marik's soul a year earlier) woke up and, taking up the Sennen Rod, pinned Ishizu and their father to the wall. Feeling Marik's anger, the evil parasitic soul killed its host's father gleefully. But, just as the evil spirit went to kill Odion, the elder awoke and looked at Marik. Seeing the sign of loyalty on the adult's face, Marik woke up, unaware of what the evil spirit did. Marik was crushed at the sight of his dead father and his anger grew when the loyalist appeared in spirit and told Marik that it was because of the soul of the Pharaoh that this happened, for he would be returning. The next morning, Ishizu found that Marik and Odion had run away, clear by their rooms ransacked and the door to the outside world open. Worried, she took the Tauk and was shown visions of what could happen. Having been taught that the Necklace shows the wearer the future that will happen, she left to find her brothers. At the same time, the two were on a bus, taking them away. Holding the preteen close, Odion hoped to help Marik. Thanks to the closeness, Odion did not notice that Marik was clutching the page that had the picture of Tima; thanks to him believing that the Pharaoh and his loyalist was responsible for his father's death, the preteen was determined not only to seek revenge on the Pharaoh for the cursed fate of the Tomb Keepers but to rescue Tima from the Pharaoh._

* * *

_As Ishizu predicted, Merina forgot about Marik since she met him at such a young age and since none of his letters ever made it to her. Even so, the blond American grew up happily with her family, who instilled in her a love of history and gaming, especially Duel Monsters. But at the age of eleven, a tragic event had occurred: Merina lost her mother after a long battle with cancer. For a whole year, Merina and Scipio grieved until they realized that their lost loved one would want them to not let sadness dictate their every move. As they picked up the pieces, Merina noticed something: thanks to the medical bills and Scipio's current job as a history teacher at a public high school, they were struggling financially. Because she was in junior high, Merina knew she could not get a part-time job but she found another solution: during the summers, she secretly earned money by participating in Duel Monsters Tournaments. Not wanting her father to find out, she dueled under the name Red Phoenix. Thanks to her love for the game and determination, she became champion in the tournaments and all the money she earned was given to Scipio, under the guise of being money Merina got from doing odd-jobs and money she saved up from friends and family. At first, Scipio was suspicious since there was always a sparkle in Merina's eyes when he asked her about the money. Finally, in the summer of her last year in junior high, he discovered the truth: he was invited by a friend to watch the tournament since the friend's son was in the tournament. Scipio took particular interest in the Red Phoenix and then realized who she was when he recognized a trademark tactic Merina always used. After the final duel, he approached Merina, who was a little embarrassed at being caught, and told her, no matter what, she did not have to worry about her family's financial situation, for he was proud of his girl for doing something so selfless. Hugging her, he promised that things would get better. Hearing that, Merina retired from dueling, vowing to do it only when she felt it was right. When she made that decision, Merina met Torru, a fire phoenix. Bonding with her immediately, he told her that he had watched her for a while, wanting to see if she was ready to have him by her side; with her selflessness about the prize money, he knew she was ready. A couple of weeks later, as Scipio predicted, things got better: he received a job offer to be an archaeology professor at a University in Domino, Tokyo, Japan._

* * *

_In Domino, Yugi and Tiki each blossomed into their own person. They still retained their love for games and puzzles but Yugi really dove into them, becoming even shyer as a result. Despite no one outside the family believing her, his sister knew there was more to him than meets the eye, especially those rare times when Yugi was brave and stood up to people who needed it. Tiki, still retaining her child voice and innocence, became obsessed with dresses and skirts, anything to feel like a princess she always claimed. Her family had long since given up on getting her to wear jeans instead of skirts and Tiki was fine with that, finding pants too restrictive. She was more outgoing than her brother but still was lonely like him, especially since she preferred to play games with her brother (though she preferred to watch Duel Monsters instead of playing the card game) instead of going outside and playing sports. But, no matter what game they played, Yugi and Tiki always found time to work on the puzzle they found as children. Tiki often tried to forget about it, claiming it was too hard, but Yugi's devotion to finishing it and the necklace she wore kept roping her back into cheering on her brother. Thanks to the story their grandfather told them about the powers that were rumored to be in the completed puzzle, they made a wish on the puzzle pieces to have friends. Deep down, Yugi knew the puzzle was almost impossible to solve, having gotten stuck in the same spot many times, but his wish for friends and the feeling he still had that he was being called to finish it kept him going. Little did they know that the puzzle and the game Duel Monsters would change their lives forever…_


	2. Gaps of Time

Chapter 2

Gaps of Time

**Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything that has to do with YuGiOh. I just own my characters and Dark Mage of the Sea owns hers. From here on out, I will mainly relay on what happens in the original Japanese version of the anime with the occasional usage of the manga.**

**Thank you, Dark Mage of the Sea, my coauthor and best friend.**

_As the first month of school came and went, the Mutou siblings focused on schoolwork and did their best to keep their grades up, though Tiki was the only one who was able to be in the top 100. They wanted to make friends but their shy personalities and love for games kept them to themselves; in fact, their only friend was Tea. A few other classmates, feeling sorry for them, always invited them to play sports during recess but the siblings always declined, Yugi too timid to play and Tiki not a fan of sports. But there were a few classmates who used different ways to get to know the brother and sister…_

One day during recess, the Mutou siblings were by themselves in the classroom. Finishing up a doodle she was working on, Tiki peeked at Yugi. "So…did you bring it?"

Yugi grinned and nodded. As Tiki sat in the chair in front of her brother's desk, he pulled out the golden puzzle box. He smiled and looked at his sister. "Let's try and solve it today!" Off her nod, he started their latest tradition: "The riddle on the box is our hint!"

Tiki giggled, remembering their grandfather telling them the lid's riddle. "Yep…'what you can show but can't see!'"

Yugi started to lift the lid with a grin. "And the answer is—"

All of a sudden, the box was snatched away. Surprised that they were not alone, they looked up and saw the culprits, two classmates of theirs who were rarely seen without either the other or souvenirs from a fight. Both having their jackets open for rebellious reasons, one had brown hair shaped like a large spike on the front of his head while the other had wild blond hair. The boy with the pointed hair was holding the golden box, examining it before he and his friend looked at the siblings with a bullying look in their eyes. The blond spoke first: "'What you can show but can't see?' Are you two serious?"

His friend nodded and smirked, "Man, you two really win the prize for the creepiest pair ever!"

Tiki winced a little. "Tristan, give it back!"

Agreeing, Yugi got up to grab the box out of Tristan's hand. But Tristan was almost a full foot taller with an arm's length that was just as long. After letting the smaller jump for a while, Tristan tossed the box to Joey. Catching it with one hand, the blond looked at the box and sneered, "You know…to care so much about a box…only a girl would do that (no offense, Tiki). You're supposed to be a man; watching guys like you pisses me off! It's time someone taught you how to be a man!" Standing fully up, he puffed up his chest and said to Yugi, "First lesson in manhood: punch me as hard as you can!"

Tiki was shocked at the "lesson" Joey was giving her brother. Yugi was just as shocked and yelled, "I hate fighting!" Joey and Tristan winced, having never believed that a loud voice could come out of a small boy. Blushing deeply, Yugi sheepishly said, "Give it back…"

Tiki nodded. "Yeah. Game's over so hand it back and be on your way."

Seeing Yugi revert back to his shy, wimpy state, Tristan grinned a bullying grin and denied Yugi's request while ignoring Tiki. But Yugi did not hear him because Joey started to lift the lid of the box. "So what's in here anyway?"

The Mutou siblings started to panic and pleaded with the blond to not take anything. Ignoring them, Joey peeked into the box and his face fell with disappointment. "Stupid…here you go, Tristan!"

He tossed the box to Tristan, wanting his friend to agree with him. But the pointy-haired classmate never got a chance because a random hand reached out and caught the box in midair. Everyone looked over to see who it was: the siblings brightened up while Joey and Tristan panicked. Glaring at the bullies, Tea sternly told them, "If you think it's stupid, you should give it back. Besides, if you want to talk stupid…bullies who pick on little kids are what's stupid! Now beat it!"

Knowing how tough Tea was, Joey and Tristan ran out. They managed to get in a few threats but they were empty ones, clear by Tea ignoring them as she gave the box back. Tiki smiled. "That was impressive."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah…one word and they ran away."

Tea shrugged, thinking it was not a big deal. "Guys always act big until someone shuts them up. They're always like that…especially when it comes to sports…"

That caught Tiki's attention. "Is that why you came in? I seem to recall you went out to play basketball with everyone."

Tea sneered a little. "I was…until I realized that the only reason the guys were passing the ball to the girls was to peek at us when we made our shots! Since you love skirts, Tiki, let me give you a bit of advice: never play basketball in a skirt!

Tiki giggled a little. "I don't think you have to worry about that."

Tea smiled at Tiki but her smile faded when she saw the blush on Yugi's face. When Tea admitted why she came in, his mind immediately went into the gutter as he started to imagine the type of show he would get. Noticing the blush as well, Tiki glared at him and smacked him upside the head, waking him up. "Ow! What was that for?"

Tiki shook her head and murmured, "My brother, the pervert…"

Yugi was about to argue back when Tea looked at the box. "So what is this?"

Yugi grinned with delight at the idea of sharing his special treasure with his crush. "That's right…you haven't seen this, have you?"

Off Tea shaking her head, Tiki said, "We'll show you…if you promise to it a secret."

Tea nodded in agreement, keeping her eyes glued on the box. Feeling his pride swell, Yugi lifted the lid, revealing the golden puzzle pieces. The taller girl's eyes shone as she picked up some of the pieces. "So pretty! Are they pieces to something?"

Tiki wanted to answer but this was Yugi's obsession so she let him answer. "Yep! It's a puzzle! We've never finished it so we don't know what it really looks like."

Tiki chuckled. "Hence the riddle it came with: 'something you can show but can't see.'" As Tea put the pieces back, Tiki admitted, "But, you know…the riddle wasn't the only thing that came with the pieces."

Tea looked up and her eyes shone again as Tiki reached into her uniform and pulled out the Queen's necklace. "Wow! That's so pretty!"

Tiki nodded and looked at the diamond. "Yep. The puzzle is my brother's treasure and this is my treasure."

Turning her attention back to the puzzle pieces, Tea listened as Yugi explained, "Grandpa said it was found in an Egyptian ruin! See the carvings on the side? They're hieroglyphs and, from what Grandpa said, it will grant me one wish when I solve it." The siblings shared a special smile, remembering the wish they asked for, before Yugi admitted sadly, "Thing is…it's really hard…even with Tiki's help, I've been working on the puzzle since I was five and never solved it. It's…kind of depressing."

Not one to let people be depressed around her, Tea smiled at him. "Don't give up! I'm sure, with both your hearts in it, you'll be able to finish it!"

Tiki agreed, making Yugi grin as big as he could before vowing to do his best. Tea then teasingly asked, "So…what is it? The wish you two made…"

Yugi winked at Tea and teasingly responded, "No way. That is absolutely positively secret!"

Tiki nodded and giggled. "Come on, Tea. You know the first rule of making a wish: if you want it to come true, you're not supposed to tell." Tea smiled, respecting that.

* * *

When school ended, the Mutou siblings started to head home when they heard someone call their names. Looking behind them, they immediately looked up to look the person in the eyes. The student had brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail with his bangs resembling claws. The band around his right arm showed that he was a hall monitor. After confirming their identities, he introduced himself as Ushio and asked, "Can I ask you two something?" Off their nods, the hall monitor asked, "Are you two being teased and bullied by certain students in your class?"

Tiki raised her eyebrow, feeling a little uneasy by the question. Sure, Joey and Tristan picked on Yugi and occasionally poked fun at her but it was harmless so Tiki shook her head and Yugi verbally and adamantly denied it. Ushio, however, was not convinced, pointing out that victims more often than not defended their attackers and that he knew the truth because of his investigation. Still shaking her head, Tiki said, "Ushio, we're not like that. Why would we hide bullies from you?"

Ignoring her, Ushio reached out and grabbed their shoulders. "You two can stop worrying! I will be your bodyguard from now on! I'll protect you from being teased, Tiki, and I'll protect you from being bullied, Yugi!"

Already uncomfortable from him grabbing them, the siblings' tension grew at Ushio's statement. Pulling away from him, Tiki wiped off her shoulder. "That's…that's very nice of you…but…uh…"

Equally flustered, Yugi stated, "We're fine…thanks, though. We'll…see you later…"

With that, the Mutou siblings took each other's hands and started to run home, wanting to get far away from Ushio. But they did not know what they had already fallen into his web…

* * *

The next afternoon, the Mutou siblings were again hanging out in the classroom during recess. Tiki was trying to read but kept getting distracted by her brother's yawns. Yugi rubbed his eye and grumbled that he was tired, making Tiki roll her eyes. "You got what you deserved, staying up late to work on the Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi looked at his sister with a tired glare. "Come on, Tiki. I'm halfway through it."

Tiki smirked and teased, "And stuck again."

Yugi stuck out his tongue, too tired to argue. His sister was about to tease again when the door opened and Ushio peeked in. "Could I have a moment?"

Surprised to see him, the siblings followed Ushio outside, too intimidated by his size and status to refuse. They tried to ask him what was going on but all he kept telling them was that they would see and that they would like it. When they went around the school building, Ushio finally stop and smirked at the two. "Here you go!"

Looking at what Ushio was talking about, Tiki screamed in shock and Yugi's eyes almost popped out of their sockets: the "gift" was Joey and Tristan beaten to a black-and-blue, bloody mess. Tiki was too shocked to speak but Yugi found his voice: "What is this?!"

Ushio smirked with pride. "I told you two: I'm your bodyguard! I decided to teach these bullies a lesson, one they wouldn't forget!"

Realizing that Ushio was not playing around yesterday, Yugi and Tiki went to the battered victims. With Tristan unconscious, they turned their attention to Joey and worriedly asked if he was all right. Glaring but smirking as if he was not surprised, Joey hissed, "Bitch…bastard…happy now?"

Not sure if she was more shocked that Joey thought they asked Ushio to do this or that the blond did not seem surprised by the beating, Tiki quickly shook her head. "No! We're innocent!"

Not catching the nonchalant attitude, Yugi adamantly defended himself: "You think I asked him to do this?!"

Growing bored, Ushio pushed the two siblings away. Even though the two teenagers were already beaten to a pulp, Ushio claimed that they still needed to be punished. He managed to get in a hard kick to Joey's chest, knocking the wind out of him; he almost got in another one but Yugi and Tiki quickly moved in front of him, acting like human shields. At first surprised, Ushio smirked, believing he knew exactly what the siblings wanted. "Are you protecting them? Think about the chance I'm giving you: this is your chance to get revenge. Hit them! Kick them! Hell, at least spit on them!"

Tiki shook her head. "No! Leave them alone!"

Ushio turned to Yugi. "Now I know you're more of a man than your sister is. Now beat these bullies up like they beat you up!"

That was when Yugi said something that shocked his classmates: "I can't do that to my friends!"

Quiet at first, Ushio then laughed as if Yugi told the world's funniest joke. "You're quite the…whatever you are. Friends? They were picking on you!"

Tiki shook her head. "No, they weren't! They're innocent!"

Though he was still a little sheepish, Yugi continued to stand up for them. "Yeah…they were just trying to teach me to be a man…you know, tougher. Besides…they never teased Tiki."

While he could see that there was no convincing Yugi to allow him to continue, Ushio knew he had the siblings right where he wanted them. "Whatever. But there's a price for having me as a bodyguard: ¥200,000!"

The Mutou siblings were shocked: the bully was charging them an outrageous amount for something they did not even want?! Seeing the looks on their faces, Ushio smirked and started to mockingly explain the price: "For the price, these two can be your daily punching bag. Any troubles you have, you can take out on them. Good deal, right?" Off their silence, the hall monitor smirked. "What? You're not satisfied until I hurt them even more?"

Tiki was about to yell at Ushio to go away before she reported him when Yugi pushed her behind him, acting as a human shield now for all three of them. "Don't touch them! If you want to hurt someone, hut me!"

Tiki was very worried since Ushio was three times Yugi's size and probably five times stronger. But Ushio decided to take the high road; after all, there was no need to hurt a paying customer. "You have 24 hours to give me my money."

As Ushio left, the siblings turned to Joey and Tristan. As Tristan started to wake up, Yugi helped Joey stand up, who in turn helped Tristan to his feet. Smiling softly, Tiki said, "Let's get you guys to the nurse."

Mentally distracted, Joey nodded as they went to the nurse's office to get bandaged up.

* * *

Later that night, Tiki was working on dinner. With her father away on business, mother shopping, and grandfather working in the shop, it was Tiki's turn to make the meal. As the food started to simmer, she went up to Yugi's room and knocked. "Yugi? You decent?"

Yugi granted her entrance. Tiki peeked in and found her brother at his desk with some money on the desk next to him. When she asked how much there was, he muttered, "¥1,656…not nearly enough…"

Tiki winced. She was not happy that her brother was even considering giving Ushio the money but suspected there was no other choice, especially since Ushio was so intimidating that even the teachers were too scared to stand up to him. "You know…I can pitch in some of my allowance if that will help."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks."

Tiki was about to go get her money purse when she noticed a familiar clicking sound. Looking over Yugi's shoulder, she was surprised. "You're working on the puzzle? Now?"

Yugi blushed a little, pausing. He knew that working on the puzzle at this time was probably not appropriate but he admitted, "It's strange…I feel like crap but…working on the puzzle…makes me feel better."

Tiki smiled, knowing how dedicated her brother was. "Well, don't let me stop you." He started to ask if she wanted to help but she shook her head. "I gotta work on dinner."

* * *

Moments later, Tiki put the food on the table and set the table. She first alerted Solomon, who was cleaning up the shop, and then went up to Yugi's room. Seeing the door closed, she knocked again. "Yugi? Dinner's ready. Move away from the puzzle and come on out." When her joke was met with silence, she tried the door and found it unlocked. "Yugi? You in here?"

To her surprise, the room was empty. Going to the desk, she found the puzzle box empty and a note that said he was going back to school. Knowing that hall monitors stayed after school, she was worried for her brother's well-being and decided to check on him. Running past Solomon and saying that she was getting some spices for dinner, she raced towards the high school, praying that she would get there in time. When she finally arrived at the school, she ran past the pool but stopped when she heard a familiar voice yell, "I did it!"

She looked in at and was surprised by what she saw: Tristan was tossing Joey a towel as the blond was getting out of the pool. Standing up, Joey shook his head dry, getting Tristan wet, and then noticed Tiki standing outside the gate. "Tiki, what are you doing here?"

Too worried to question what they were doing, she answered, "I'm looking for Yugi. Have either of you seen him?"

Joey shook his head but Tristan looked up towards the school and said, "I see him."

Tiki and Joey looked where Tristan was looking and paled: Ushio was leading Yugi out of sight. Worried about what the bullying hall-monitor would do, the three went to find them. They finally found the two but it was too late: Yugi was collapsed against the wall after receiving a vicious beating for not bringing Ushio his payment. Without thinking, Tiki rushed forward to confront Ushio, only to be slapped extra hard, making her collapse next to Yugi. Shocked by what Ushio did, Joey went to Yugi and asked if he was all right. Unaware that the voice belonged to a real person, Yugi weakly said, "I…asked the puzzle…for true friends…"

Wincing at the bruise forming on her cheek, Tiki looked up in time to watch Joey and Tristan charge at Ushio, only to get the beating of a lifetime. She looked at her brother and then noticed why he came back in the first place: the puzzle was almost done except for one piece. Since the box was empty, Yugi must have assumed that the missing piece fell out during school. As Ushio finally left and Yugi woke up, the smallest wanted to check on his hurt classmates, feeling guilty that they got beat up because of him, but Tiki kept him down. "Yugi, you're hurt. Please…"

Hating himself for being so weak, Yugi lowered his head and whispered, "I can't do anything…if only I…" Just then, he realized there was something in his hand. "Did you…give me something?"

Tiki shook her head no so Yugi opened his hand. He and Tiki were stunned: it was the missing piece of the Millennium Puzzle! With the piece back, Yugi was suddenly hit with the sense of being called to finish the puzzle, now stronger than ever. Though still sore, he reached out and inserted the piece, finishing the Millennium Puzzle. With it now complete, the puzzle and Tiki's necklace suddenly started to glow brightly. The Mutou siblings froze as they faded to darkness…

* * *

The next day, the Mutou siblings came to school, barely awake. As they headed to their cubbies to change their shoes, they pass three girls who talked about Ushio who was hospitalized with severe shock. Not paying attention to them, Yugi asked, "How's your cheek, Tiki?"

Tiki touched her cheek, which was covered with a medicinal bandage. "I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about: you took a worse beating than I did."

Yugi waved it off. "I'm more worried about last night…I can't remember anything after I finished the Puzzle."

Worried, his sister asked, "Is your insulin in your bag?"

Yugi nodded. Not wanting to think about his diabetes, he changed the subject. "But! I finally finished the Millennium Puzzle!"

Tiki looked down at the Millennium Puzzle, which looked like a golden, upside-down pyramid. "I know! It looks so cool!"

Yugi smiled and continued to walk with his sister. But they were stopped by a familiar voice: "Yo, Yugi…hey, Tiki…"

The siblings looked up and saw Joey leaning against the doorframe. After they greeted the taller, the blond asked, "So…how you two doin'?"

Yugi stated that they were fine as Tiki asked, "But what about you?"

Joey gestured to his bandages and waved them off. "This is nothing. Happens all the time." As the siblings smiled awkwardly, the blond decided to get serious. "Ya know, I didn't tell you two: I have a treasure too. You wanna see it?"

Yugi nodded, curious about Joey's treasure. "Yep!"

Joey grinned and laughed. "You can't! But I'll give you a hint: it's something you can show but can't see."

Tiki perked up, realizing that Joey was using the riddle that was attached to the puzzle box. Making the connection as well, Yugi thought for a moment. His and Tiki's answer to the riddle was a puzzle but what was Joey's answer? After a moment, Joey smiled at the siblings, a genuine smile. "Clueless? C'mon…it's friendship! Yugi…Tiki…thanks for showing me that we're friends."

The Mutou siblings looked up at Joey in surprise. Did their wish just come true? With happy tears forming, they smiled brightly and nodded, confirming the newfound friendship. Highly embarrassed that a tough guy like him was saying such cheesy stuff, Joey ran off, with the Mutou siblings following him with the shoe the blond accidentally kicked off. While they were happy with the friendship, last night's blackout still worried them…

* * *

_Joey and Yugi became best friends almost immediately; while he was not as close to Tiki, Joey saw her as a younger sister and someone to protect. He even got them to become friends with Tristan, especially after they tried to help him confess his crush to their classmate Miho. While Tristan was rejected, he appreciated the help and grew closer to his friend and the siblings._

* * *

_Two week later, Yugi and Tiki experienced another black-out around Tea. After discovering blackmail in the form of a photo of her working at her job (something that the school did not allow), she went to confront the blackmailer in a school shed, thinking it was Joey or one of the Mutou siblings since they accidentally discovered her secret, and discovered that it was the gym teacher, who wanted to take lewd pictures of her. All of a sudden, the Mutou siblings, having seen her worried at her locker and followed her, burst in and attacked the teacher. Unfortunately, they were easily tossed into the gym pallets. Seeing her friends hurt, Tea tried to fight back in self-defense but the teacher pushed her against the wall, knocking her out. Thankfully, she was only out for a few minutes; when she came to, Yugi and Tiki were standing above her. But there was something different about them: they seemed much more confidant, both physically and emotionally. Before she could ask what happened, she noticed that the teacher was unconscious with the Kanji words for "sexual predator" on his forehead. Looking back up at the siblings, she saw that they were their normal selves again, unaware of what just happened. As they took Tea to the nurse's station to check for a concussion and to report the gym teacher, she started to wonder about what she saw…_

* * *

A few days after the incident with Tea, the homeroom teacher started the class by stating, "Everyone, I have a special announcement: we have a new student joining our class today. Originally from America, she is transferring from Seien Girls' High School."

Everyone perked up at the mention of the transfer being from America, Tiki and Tea especially since they both had dreams of moving to America for college. Seeing that he had their attention, the teacher gestured towards the door as it slid open. In walked in a young, pale-skinned girl with purple eyes and long blonde hair that reached down to her behind. Dressed in the Domino High uniform with a messenger backpack on her shoulder, she stood in front of the blackboard as the teacher wrote out the new student's name. "Everyone, please welcome Ms. Hika Merina."

The girl Merina bowed hello, making all the male students have hearts in their eyes for the beautiful American. Tea and Tiki rolled their eyes, finding it amusing that the boys seemed to have love at first sight. Tiki turned to Yugi to ask what he thought of Merina when she noticed the look on her brother's face. She tried to get her attention with calling out his name. When that did not work, she reached over and poked his neck with her pencil, finally getting his attention. "Ow! What was that for?"

Tiki grinned. "You back from dreamland?"

Yugi glared but Tiki noticed that he had a small blush on his face. Was the blush from her poke or from something else? Before she could ask, she heard the teacher say, "Ms. Hika, will you please sit next to Ms. Mutou? Ms. Mutou, can you raise your hand please?"

Tiki smiled and waved her hand up high. Seeing the hand, Merina went to the empty desk to Tiki's left. Placing her messenger bag at the side, she sat down and was about to focus on the lesson when she heard Tiki chirp, "Hi!"

Surprised by the little outburst, Merina looked at Tiki. Smiling politely, she nodded her hello. Smiling back, Tiki wanted to talk to Merina some more but the class began so Tiki turned her attention to the class.

* * *

A few days later, Tiki were setting out some snacks in her room. Passing by the door, Yugi looked in and asked, "Expecting company?"

Tiki nodded. "You know that project on the different faces of people in society? Well, my partner is coming over to work on it."

Yugi nodded in understanding. "So who's your partner?"

Tiki almost teased how he was unable to remember what happened in class the day before when she remembered that he had been sick with a cold. "It's the new girl, Merina."

Yugi blushed a little, making Tiki giggle. Before she could tease him, Solomon poked his head in and said, "Your friend is here." Seeing Yugi blush, his grandfather interpreted his red face in a different way. "Are you still sick, Yugi? We should get you back to bed."

Before Yugi could protest, the old man ushered him to his room. Tiki laughed until Merina walked up. "Tiki?"

Tiki smiled. "Hi, Merina. You ready to get started?"

Merina nodded and sat down at Tiki's kotatsu. Noticing the snacks, the blond smiled softly, glad for the hospitality. As Tiki got out the assignment paper, Merina noticed Tiki's necklace and her face crunched up with curiosity. "Forgive me…but that necklace you're wearing…"

Tiki looked at the necklace and smiled. "This is a necklace that came with my brother's Millennium Puzzle, that pendant he wears all the time."

Merina froze for a second. "You mean…that pendant is really…?"

Tiki looked up. "You know about them? How?"

Letting down her guard, Merina started to nibble on a cookie. "My father is a professor of archaeology at Domino University. While he studies artifacts from all over the world, his passion is Ancient Egypt. The Millennium or Sennen Pendant…he calls it his Holy Grail. How were you and your brother able to find it?"

Tiki chuckled. "Yugi and I found the Puzzle when we were five, hidden by our grandfather in a storage room. The necklace came with the pieces."

Merina listened intently. Remembering the next day was Sunday, she asked, "Would you and Yugi mind coming with me to Domino University tomorrow? I know my dad would like to see the Puzzle and necklace."

Seeing this as more of an opportunity to get to know Merina, Tiki nodded. "Yeah. Yugi should be better by then."

Merina smiled, excited to see how her father would react.

* * *

The next day, Merina was waiting on the front steps of the University, dressed in jeans and a black spaghetti-strapped shirt. She heard a screech and looked up, seeing Torru fly around. She was glad to have him around but she was still getting used to having him so she told him to hang out in the falconry to not draw attention. As she waited, she pulled out her deck that she kept in a duel box clipped to her belt. She managed to get halfway through her deck when she heard Tiki call out of her. Looking up, she saw the Mutou siblings walking up. Smiling, she put her deck away and waved at them. Tiki was about to properly introduce them when Yugi, always the duelist, noticed, "Is that a duel box?" Merina blushed a little, only to have Yugi smile. "That's so cool. Maybe you and I can duel one day."

That caught Merina's attention. "You duel?"

Tiki laughed. "Does he duel? My brother loves Duel Monsters, just like me."

Yugi teased, "Says the observer."

Tiki gave her brother a look and then looked at Merina. "Is your dad here?"

Merina nodded and started to take them inside. Moments later, they reached a classroom that had the numbers 357 on the door. Smiling softly, Merina looked at the siblings. "This is it."

As she opened the door, Tiki and Yugi looked into the classroom and felt their eyes widen in awe. The classroom was large enough to fit about a hundred students in it. All over the room were artifacts from all over the ancient world, ranging from tools used by the earliest man to artifacts from Ancient Mesopotamia and the Mayan Empire. But most of the artifacts came from the number-one place for archaeology: Egypt. Leaving the siblings for a moment, Merina went to a small office at the back that had the name "Professor Scipio Hika" on it. His eyes following Merina, Yugi noticed the name and, to his surprise, the name sounded familiar. Merina knocked and, upon hearing "Enter!" from within, the blond looked at the siblings. "Come on in."

The two went to the door of the office as the main office was too small for all four of them. Behind the desk sat the professor. Dressed in a suit with the top buttons of the shirt open, the dark-skinned man with his long black hair tied in a ponytail was very well-built. As soon as he saw the professor, Yugi made the connection. "I know you! You recently went to Stonehenge and suggested that the monument was made with simple tools!"

The professor smiled, making Tiki blush at his mesmerizing smile. "I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone as young as you paid attention to my area of study." He then turned to Merina. "I see you made some friends, my Desert Rose."

Merina nodded. "Yep. This is Mutou Yugi and Mutou Tiki."

Tiki bowed her head as Yugi started to act like a fan. "It's a real honor to meet you, sir. My Grandpa and I read about your digs all the time."

Scipio chuckled. "Thank you. I'm glad you and your grandfather have an interest in my area of expertise; after all, we have so much we can learn from the past that can affect the future."

Yugi nodded, remembering Solomon's stories about the digs he had been involved in. Tiki smiled, seeing Yugi become a fan-boy around the second thing he loved. Merina smiled a bit herself, glad that she took this chance and opened up to these two. Remembering the real reason she brought them here, she told Scipio, "Dad, I brought them here because there's something they have that I think you might like to see."

Scipio looked at the siblings and finally noticed the Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck. His eyes widened in shock as he stood up. The two siblings immediately looked up to look the professor in the eye. Yugi got a little nervous: he felt like an ant compared to the adult. Scipio looked at Tiki and noticed the Queen's necklace. "Incredible…may I see them?" Seeing the siblings hesitate, he smiled kindly at them. "I just want to see them, I promise."

Even though they never took off their treasures, they felt automatic trust towards Scipio so they took off the Puzzle and necklace. Scipio offered his desk as he sat back down on his chair. Once the items were in front of him, he shook his head in amazement. "Amazing…to think…many have searched for these items and have never found them…and here they are…in the hands of the two of you. May I…?"

Yugi nodded and, as Scipio picked it up with the utmost care, explained "Our grandfather was the one who found them many years ago."

Tiki nodded and added, "That's what makes them extra special."

Scipio nodded and continued to exam the Puzzle. For a moment, he had a sense of familiarity with the Puzzle, more on a personal level instead of from his studies. Brushing off the feeling, he asked, "When did you solve the Sennen Puzzle?"

Yugi blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Well…we found it when we were five…and we only solved earlier this month."

Merina was shocked, not putting it together the day before. "It took you that long to solve it?"

Yugi blushed even deeper. "Well…it's a very complex puzzle…"

Tiki teased, "And he has been known to stay up extremely late just to work on it."

Yugi glared at Tiki, making Merina laugh. Seeing that, Scipio's smile became a little softer: after she was forced to leave Seien and her friends because he transferred from the high school to the university and would no longer get free tuition, his daughter had not smiled in a while. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Scipio granted entrance and smiled politely as his colleague, a tall man with gray hair and piercing green eyes dressed in a tan suit with a slightly open white shirt and white hat with a black band around it, stepped in. Tipping his hat at everyone, he spoke with a French accent. "Professor Hika, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Scipio followed his eyes to what the French man was looking at: a case on Scipio's desk that had a large golden-bronze scorpion covered with ancient writings held by two gold chains. Sighing in annoyance, Scipio asked, "Kids, can you give us a minute?"

Merina sneered but nodded, leading the siblings out into the classroom. Yugi almost grabbed the Puzzle on the way out but could not reach it in time. Tiki looked at Merina and asked, "Who's the French?"

Merina chuckled softly. "Professor Rene Mourir. He's the professor of French and history. Dad has to work with him since archaeology and history go hand in hand…but they don't get along."

Yugi looked up and asked, "Did something happen between them?"

Merina sighed. "It's more of a feeling: Dad and I think he has a hidden agenda since he looks at all the artifacts Dad has with greed. The one thing he seems to always have his eye on is the Scorpion King's necklace. But that's a personal item so it's something Mourir will not have."

The siblings nodded. After a moment, Tiki went to look at the artifacts and Yugi looked at the duel box, curious about the deck. Catching his eye, Merina asked, "You want to see my deck?"

Yugi blushed at being caught but still nodded so Merina opened the box and pulled out her deck. Smiling, she explained, "It's a fire/burn deck."

Taking the deck gently, Yugi started to look through the cards. Remember that each deck meant something to each duelist, he asked, "Is there a reason behind your deck?"

Merina at first hesitated. No one understood what Torru was, especially since he was part of the reason for the deck's theme. After a moment, she said, "Well…fire not only destroys…but helps to make something." She then murmured to herself, "I wish there was something to make it feel more complete…"

Yugi was about to ask what she meant by that when Mourir stepped out of the office and stated with an oily smile, "You cannot hold onto to everything forever. Even the most famous Pharaoh in the world eventually lost everything."

Scipio stated in response, "That is because Pharaoh Tutankhamun trusted the wrong men."

Mourir chuckled softly. "_En effet. Au revoir_, Professor Hika."

As he left, Yugi noticed the time and said, "We should probably be getting home as well. We don't want Mom to get worried."

Tiki nodded as the four started to leave. Along the way, they passed the office of the head of the anthropology department. Seeing it, Scipio paused, "Kids, you go on ahead. I need to talk to the dean about a potential field trip."

Merina nodded and turned to talk to the siblings when Yugi squeaked with panic. "I forgot the Puzzle back at the office!"

Before the blond could say anything, he and Tiki raced back to Scipio's classroom. Believing that she would not see them again and knowing that Scipio would be a while, the American headed out to the front steps to wait. Once there, she ran into a young man who was coming from the archery field, clear by his bow and arrow. Dressed in all black, the handsome man with brown hair looked at Merina and paused. "Say…you're Professor Hika's daughter, right?"

Suspicious, she asked, "How do you know?"

He chuckled. "My girlfriend Nattie is in his class; she's an anthropology major."

Merina nodded and started to look through her deck to pass the time, ignoring the man who waited and worked on his arrows near her. Moments later, Yugi and Tiki came out of the building, Yugi wearing the Millennium Puzzle again. The blond smiled up at them. "I see you found the Puzzle." As Yugi nodded, the American noticed both of them had red marks on their cheeks. "What happened? Are you all right?"

The siblings nodded a little too quickly as Tiki said, "We'll see you tomorrow."

The college student looked up for his arrows and noticed the marks as well. His sense of justice taking over, he asked, "Did someone slap you guys?"

Yugi shook his head. "No. We just tripped and fell. See you tomorrow."

The two left, a little urgently Merina noticed. Seconds later, four security guards raced into the building. Noticing the looks of urgency on their faces, Merina and the college student followed. They soon arrived at Scipio's office, where Scipio and a group of college students gathered to watch the security guards restrain Professor Rene Mourir, who was clutching his head and screaming in terror. While two kept Mourir from thrashing, another called for emergency services while the last kept everyone back. Seeing a female student with red hair, the college student with arrows asked, "What happened, Nattie?"

Nattie glared at him. "I told you not to call him that, Clint." As Clint shrugged, she explained, "I don't know. I was leaving my anthropology class when I heard screaming coming from Professor Hika's classroom. I tried to ask the two kids who seemed to be leaving the classroom but they didn't hear me."

Scipio looked at her. If the two were responsible for what happened to his colleague, they needed to answer to the proper authorities. "Did you see them leaving the classroom, Natasha?"

Natasha shook her head. "To be honest, no. They were the only ones in the hall walking away so I assumed…"

Clint put his arm around her. "Nattie, you gotta stop assuming. The last time you did, you almost got someone expelled."

Natasha glared at him. "That was different, Hawk."

Clint playfully smirked at his girlfriend. But their attention was drawn to what the French professor screamed: "The eye! The eye of judgment!"

A little disturbed by that, Scipio took Merina's hand and started to lead her home. But the blond was curious so she asked, "What do you suppose he means by that?"

Scipio shook his head. "I don't know. He must have had a psychotic break from something."

Merina wondered if there was something more, especially with Natasha saying that she saw two people supposedly leaving the classroom.

* * *

The next day, Merina arrived at school, still curious about what happened to Professor Mourir. It was reported on the morning news that, not only did Mourir get admitted to a psychiatric hospital, a lot of stolen artifacts from the entire anthropology department was found in Mourir's office and closet. The reporter stated that Mourir continued to scream about the Eye of Judgment. That intrigued the American the most: could there be a curse attached to one of her father's artifacts that punished Mourir for being a thief? She laughed at herself for thinking such a thing. As she lifted her cubby door to change her shoes, her mind was distracted by an envelope falling out. Curious, she opened it and found a Duel Monster card. The monster on it was the Golden Phoenix, a Level 6 fire monster with 2450 attack points and 2150 defense points. Her eyes shone, especially when she found the note that was in the envelope. _Found this; thought it would help make your deck feel more complete._

Merina looked up and noticed Yugi looking at her. Blushing deeply, he grabbed his sister and ran off. The American chuckled and silently thanked him. But she noticed the Millennium Puzzle and remembered: the Puzzle had the Eye of Horus on it. Remembering Horus was the Egyptian god of protection and vengeance, Natasha saying she saw two kids walking away from the classroom, and Mourir's screams…could it be?

* * *

_Over the next few weeks, Merina grew closer to the siblings and their group of friends. While the blond did not see eye to eye with Tea, she did like Joey and Tristan, even after they kept flirting with her and she kept turning them down. As she continued to hang out with them, Merina came out of her shell, revealing a strong character that stood up for what was right and took guff from no one. Yugi liked Merina's company, glad that the Millennium Puzzle continued to grant his and his sister's wish. But he and his sister kept a secret from their friends: the black-outs and memory gaps became more and more frequent. Normally, they would have been worried that Yugi's diabetes was acting up but his levels were normal, Tiki experienced them too, and something always seemed to happened during the black-outs. Afraid that their new friends would leave them if they knew, they decided to never speak of it. Little did they know that there was a reason for the memory gaps, a reason that would change their lives forever._


End file.
